Commentary: If it's Donald, duck!

I know the rest of New Mexico is as pumped as I about the excitement and intellectual stimulation of the political season. It’s Pick Your President time, the season that never ends.

How fun to watch the debates and see the likes of Jeb Bush. Bright, knowledgeable, calm, articulate. Whoops. Ok, calm. But the thing about Jeb is you look at him and say, “What a regular fellow. By golly, he would be a fun guy to have a warm glass of milk with.”

And Donald Trump. A sensation, no less. He started out as a joke and transformed himself into a legitimate candidate. He actually stopped acting like an eighth grade bully and started playing nice. He came up with a tax plan no one thinks will work. Never mind. There are those who see the White House in Donald’s future. I see Dancing With The Stars in Donald’s future.

You wondered and wondered where you first saw Bernie Sanders. Me too. He was the mad scientist in the 1985 hit, Back To The Future. Just a lot of what Bernie says about our country is true, most notably obscene amounts of big money corrupting the political system. He is totally on target about wealth inequality. I am not quite sure how Bernie would solve these problems and I doubt he will get that chance.

Donald Trump will be remembered for the most important contribution to this era of American politics. People care again. The Donald put the sizzle back into the political steak. He has us talking about current events, just as they did back in the days of our founders who laser-focused on the issues. “Did you see crazy Ben flying his kite out in the storm?”

It is all because of Donald. He’s what America prizes. Rich guy. Buys his hair from only the best salons. He purports to be a great lover, and he must be. Why else would a beautiful young woman hook up with a guy who is a billionaire?

There is no doubt America wants to rally around a showman. Our next President should definitely be a celebrity.

But not Trump. You saw the real Donald Trump with his disdain of women and war heroes and immigrants. His maniac rants. We don’t need him. What we need is a charismatic charmer with a calm demeanor, universal appeal, a man or woman loved by everybody.

I’m thinking Pat Sajak. Pat has run Wheel of Fortune for three decades without a hiccup. Sajak wouldn’t just cross the aisle, he’d crawl across if need be. Firm, though. “Whoops, bankrupt. You’ll have to pass down that Wild Card.”

He has the innate sense of diplomacy we cherish in a President. “Well, darn it, Vladimir, the negotiations didn’t go your way. We couldn’t give you Syria but, by golly, you’re taking home a couple of oil wells. Not bad for a day’s work.”

(Other columns are available on www.nedcantwell.com. He welcomes comment at ncantwell@bajabb.com.)